Two Firefighters Killed in Highway Car Crash

CHARLOTTE – Two members of the Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue Squad were killed Sunday in a two-car crash in McDowell County.

The victims were returning from McDowell Fire and Rescue College, where they had attended a weekend firefighting seminar, according to the Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue Squad.

The victims were identified as Jeremy Bolick, 23, and Tommy Wright, 20. Each man was from Blowing Rock.

The N.C. Highway Patrol said the wreck happened on U.s. 221, about 4 miles north of Marion.

According to a Highway Patrol report, Bolick was driving a Ford Mustang when he apparently lost control of the vehicle on wet pavement, crossed the center line, and struck an oncoming 2006 Chrysler. Bolick and Wright died at the scene.

Troopers say Jeffrey and Cynthia Bassett, a Florida couple in the Chrysler, were seriously injured. They were taken to an Asheville hospital.

The Highway Patrol report says Bolick was traveling about 75 mph in a 50 mph zone at the time of the wreck. The Chrysler was traveling the speed limit.

In a statement, the Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue squad said Bolick joined the squad in October 2007, and Wright joined last September. Each man was working on his Firefighter 1 certification, the fire squad said. Wright is the son of Tom Wright, athletics director at Watauga High School in Boone.

“The members of the Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue Department and the community of Blowing Rock ask for your prayers and understanding, as we support those who have lost a loved one,” the fire department said in its news release.